Huo Qizheng didn't ask, Yi Zhishu naturally didn't want to bother to explain, he was not worried about France's credit and repayment ability at all, the defeat of the Franco-Prussian War, the French War reparations of 5 billion francs, which is equivalent to a huge war indemnity of 700 or 800 million silver dollars, but it only took France three years to pay off all of them, what is his national debt?

In fact, he didn't pay attention to the French national debt at all, and the French war bond in the European financial market was his main target.

After a slight pause, Yi Zhi's content turned his head, "The Franco-Prussian War didn't have an impact on the domestic securities market, right?" ”

"Except for the French national debt, it doesn't have much of an impact." Huo Qizheng said slowly: "As the news of the northwest expansion spread, war-related stock futures have seen a wave of strong gains. ”

Yuanqi has repeatedly expanded to the outside world, never defeated, the government and the opposition now have great confidence in Yuanqi, and even blindly believe that Yuanqi will win every battle, so now every foreign war of Yuanqi will stimulate the popularity of the securities market to varying degrees, triggering a wave of strong gains, which has become a law of the Guangzhou and Shanghai Stock Exchange.

After a slight sigh, Yi Zhizhi admonished: "The Franco-Prussian War has had a great impact on the European securities market, especially the stock market has fallen a lot, but our domestic securities market is rising against the market, as the saying goes, capital has no borders, we must pay close attention and be vigilant against the large inflow of hot money into our country's securities market." ”

Hearing this, Huo Qizheng hesitated before saying: "Big shopkeeper, a large inflow of European funds is conducive to the prosperity of China's securities market, which should be a good thing...... ”

"It's a good thing and it's a bad thing." Yi Zhizhi said: "The inflow of a large amount of overseas hot money will cause a bubble in the securities market and create a false prosperity. Therefore, we must pay close attention, and once we find a large inflow of hot money from abroad, we must take measures to keep them. ”

Hearing this, Huo Qizheng felt a little inexplicably excited in his heart, and immediately nodded and said, "My subordinates understand, and they must pay close attention." ”

Huo Qizheng had just gone out, and Zhao Liewen and Yi Zhengxing stepped in with a smile, "Big shopkeeper, good news!" Snow Rock called and bought Egypt's 15% stake in the Suez Canal Operating Company from Egyptian Governor Paha for £4 million.

He also said that because of the Franco-Prussian War, the Suez Canal Company's share price had plummeted, and that if it had been delayed for another year and a half, the price would have been even lower. ”

took the telegram and looked at it, Yi Zhizhi smiled and said, "Let's just change hands, it doesn't matter." After a pause, he continued: "With this 15% stake in hand, the pricing power of several ports on the northern shore of the Gulf of Oman has been transferred to our hands!" ”

Yi Zhengxing glanced at him and said, "Will England attach so much importance to the Suez Canal?" ”

"That's nature!" Yi Zhizhi said with a smile: "England is known as the 'Empire on the Sun' naval base, which is scattered at the throat of the world's continents and oceans, and firmly controls the world's maritime shipping, but the Suez Canal is not under the control of England.

The Suez Canal, which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, greatly shortens the distance between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and is a well-deserved golden route, which can also be called the lifeline of England given the importance of India to England.

From a military point of view, Egypt is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, and the British occupation of Egypt is conducive to concentrating defensive and offensive operations against Gibraltar or India.

In every way, the Suez Canal and Egypt are extremely important to England. The Suez Canal Company is 52 percent owned by the French, 29 percent by the British government and 15 percent by the Egyptian government.

With the acquisition of 15% of Egypt's equity, the British will be able to occupy 44% of the canal, and there is a more important reason, the British will never tolerate this 15% equity falling into our hands. ”

Zhao Liewen couldn't help but say: "This 15% equity is worth four million pounds, equivalent to nearly 20 million silver dollars, and it will be used to exchange for several small ports on the north shore of the Gulf of Oman, will it be too much of a loss." ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhi couldn't help but smile, "Who said that the exchange of this 15% equity is based on the transfer of this 15% equity as a condition to fight for the pricing power of those small ports!" ”

Yi Zhengxing asked: "The Suez Canal is both a golden waterway and has great military value, why would Egypt sell its equity?" ”

"What else can there be, it's natural that money is urgently needed." Yi Zhizhi said with a smile: "Egypt already owes a lot of debts, and the construction of the canal has greatly overrun, and eighty percent of the annual income has to be used to repay the debt, plus the canal's stock price has plummeted, and selling the canal's equity at this price can reduce a lot of financial burden." ”

After getting the 15% equity of the Suez Canal, which originally belonged to Egypt, the negotiations with Britain immediately progressed much faster, but within ten days, the two sides agreed that Britain would eat 15% of the Suez Canal at a price of 6 million pounds, and sell four ports, including Karachi and Jask, to Qing at a price of 3 million pounds, the only condition was that Karachi must be a free trade port.

For this deal, the British can be said to be full of surprises, inadvertently obtained a 15% stake in the Suez Canal, and several ports in the Gulf of Oman were also sold at a price that satisfied them, saying that they were ports, but in fact Karachi and Jask were slightly worth a little, and the others were small fishing villages.

Of course, the British know very well that the price of the equity transfer of the canal is much higher, but this is something that money can't buy, let alone let this equity be in the hands of the Qing State, and they can accept the high price, in fact, they also know that the Qing people offered such a high price to buy several ports in the Gulf of Oman at a high price, and they naturally will not refuse this kind of goodwill to maintain the dignity of the British Empire.

Yi Zhishu was also extremely satisfied with the deal, which was equivalent to buying a few ports for a million pounds, which not only avoided conflict with the British, but also cleared the way for smooth expansion into the Persian Gulf.

Zhennan Wangfu, Changle Book House.

Wittoma presented a document and said: "Your Highness, please take a look, this is the General Peace Treaty of the Persian Gulf, and your country is now a member of the Persian Gulf, and for the sake of peace in the Persian Gulf, I hope that your country can also sign it." ”

The "General Peace Treaty of the Persian Gulf", Yi Zhizhi has long looked at the country, mainly prohibiting sea raids, permanent truces between countries, etc., for a group of small countries around the Persian Gulf, this treaty is to put them in the status of a British protectorate, but for the Qing Dynasty, it is nothing more than a restriction on the unauthorized use of force.

During this time, the Nanyang naval fleet had already destroyed the Emirate of Taal with lightning speed, forming the fact of occupying the Qatar Peninsula, since the British did not mention this stubble, he was also willing to reciprocate, and even said: "This treaty, Your Excellency will go to Beijing to formally sign it with our country, and find the Associate Minister Wu Changqing." ”

Seeing that the other party agreed to sign the contract, Wei Tuma couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, the Qing army swept across the Qatar Peninsula in just a few days under the pretext of retaliating against the emirate of Qatar for its anti-Chinese violence, slaughtering all the soldiers and civilians on the peninsula, and making all the small countries in the Persian Gulf talk about the discoloration, so England couldn't wait to ask the Qing country to sign this peace treaty.

"Things are always closed here, and the Tianjin teaching case should be closed as soon as possible." Yi Zhishu changed his words and said: "Your country will not have any opinions on the revised concession regulations, right?" ”

The revised concession charter abolished the administrative, judicial, taxation, management of municipal facilities, education and health and other powers of the concessions of various countries, and the local government set up a special management body, the Special Administrative Zone Administration, to manage it, which still has a great deal of autonomy, but no longer undermines national sovereignty, and in fact follows the model of Shanghai.

During this time, he had been focusing on the negotiations in the Persian Gulf, but he also had some understanding of the revised concession charter, and clearly knew that the ministers of France, the United States, and Russia had all expressed their agreement to accept the new charter. ”

"Your Excellency need not worry about this." Yi Zhizhi said unhurriedly: "The civil servants of the Tianjin Special Administrative Region Administration are either drawn from Shanghai or recruited from Tianjin students and foreign personnel in the concession, and elite officers and soldiers from the Beiyang Naval Division are transferred to form a police force and an armed police force to maintain law and order in the Special Administrative Region. ”

Wittoma is very clear that England has no room for opposition at all, and France, the United States and Russia are not opposed, so how can England oppose it? Besides, the current Qing State is no longer the Qing State of 30 years ago, and I bowed my head slightly and said: "As long as the safety of life and property and the legitimate rights of our citizens in your country can be guaranteed, my country does not mind the revision of the charter regulations." ”

After a slight sigh, Yi Zhizhi said slowly: "The concession is a product of a special historical period, and now it is time to abolish the concession, with the popularization of constitutional thought, with the implementation of constitutionalism in our country, our country will increase the intensity of opening up to the outside world, and gradually open up from the coast to the interior. ”

Hearing that the Qing Dynasty would intensify its efforts to open up and gradually open up the inland cities, Wei Tuma couldn't help but be very happy, knowing that England dreamed of entering the mainland market of the Qing Dynasty, he immediately said: "I will rush to Tianjin tomorrow." ”

Sending Wei Tuma away, Zhao Liewen said worriedly: "Big treasurer, signing the "General Peace Treaty in the Persian Gulf" is tantamount to tying our hands and feet, which is not conducive to our continued expansion in the Persian Gulf. ”

"If we continue to use force to expand in the Persian Gulf, we will inevitably come into conflict with England." Yi Zhishu said slowly: "We must change the way of expansion, use money to open the way, and buy land!" The land bought is more secure than the plundered and usurped by force. ”

"Buy?" Zhao Liewen hesitated and said: "Those small countries in the Persian Gulf are not big in the first place, and their territory is limited, will they sell them?" ”

Yi Zhizhi said disapprerovingly: "Try it, if you can't buy it, it's not too late to provoke a war." ”

Five days later, Wu Changqing, the minister of the Imperial Mission, who had full authority to handle the Tianjin teaching case, signed an agreement in Tianjin with the envoys of various Western countries to revise the charter of the concession.

Whether it is the officials and gentlemen of Tianjin or the foreigners of Tianjin, they did not expect Wu Changqing's handling of the Tianjin teaching case to be so harsh, when a long bloody human head was hung on the gate of Xicheng, the entire Tianjin city was silent.

At dusk, when the sky was dark, Song Zigao led a sturdy man in his early thirties to hurry to the Haihe Wharf at Sanchakou, boarded a sea boat that had been waiting for a long time, and then hugged his fists and said: "This is going to Persia, the sea route is long, Brother Bai take care!" ”

Bai Dalu, who was originally the leader of the Water and Fire Society, hurriedly hugged his fists and said: "Brother Song's grace to live, I am afraid that I will only repay ......it in the next life." ”

Before the words fell, I heard a voice full of surprise, "Dalu!" ”

Bai Dalu looked back and saw Tang Fei, the old brother of the Water and Fire Society, and couldn't help but be overjoyed, "Da Niu——, you are still alive." ”

"There are many brothers alive." Tang Fei smiled: "Originally, I was worried about you. ”

Bai Dalu turned around in surprise, looked at Song Zigao and said, "How many white ducks have you killed after all?" ”

Song Zigao shook his head, "Don't ask me, I don't know, I should ....... anyway." Before he finished speaking, the soles of his feet shook, the boat moved, and he hurriedly said, "Wait, I haven't gotten off the boat yet." ”

A strong man in a short coat and barefoot walked over and asked, "Song Zigao, right?" ”

"It's exactly down there." Song Zigao nodded a little blankly, and a bad feeling was faintly born in his heart.

"You know too much." The strong man said in a muffled voice, "I'll come back in three years." Without waiting for Song Zigao to react, two men stepped forward quickly and put him into the cabin without saying anything.

As soon as the results of the revised concession charter and the handling of the Tianjin Lesson Plan were made public in the newspapers, they immediately caused a sensation, and only 20 or 30 foreigners died in the Tianjin Lesson Plan, but they themselves killed more than 150 people and exiled more than 500 people.

However, if Wu Changqing wants to curry favor with foreigners, he has a tough attitude and revises the charter regulations with Western countries, canceling all the privileges of the concession and depriving the foreigners in China of all privileges, so that the concession exists in name only, and also dealt a heavy blow to the Western churches and missionaries.

For a while, there was a heated discussion among the government and the opposition, some praised it, some attacked it, and there were many controversies, but after this case, Wu Changqing was famous all over the world.

Just when the Qing Dynasty and the opposition were arguing endlessly about the handling of the Tianjin teaching case, the most critical battle of the Franco-Prussian War began.